Politics bedevils East Mediterranean gas ambitions

Gas discoveries have added fuel to the fire of regional tensions in the Levant

Beirut's politicians haven't been slow to acknowledge the substantial financial windfall that might come their way as a result of the exploitation of offshore reserves, estimated to contain 20 trillion to 80 trillion cubic feet (cf) of gas. Advertising billboards went up across the capital in July, paid for by the government's Petroleum Administration, announcing to hitherto unsuspecting citizens that Lebanon would soon have billions of dollars to spend on a new metro system, healthcare provision and fresh weapons for the army. All this has come before a single rig has been deployed, and many weeks before the country's debut licensing round is due to close. But for Lebanon's factional chieft